Living Death
by Emmeline Bondurant
Summary: All they wanted was to help care for the young boy. (Warning: Involves depictions of PTSD, Schizophrenia, and other mental disorders.)


"Did you sleep well, Harry?" Madam Pomfrey asked her patient from where she was swirling a pepperup potion in a small glass. Harry looked at the woman considerably. He could tell her the truth and be forced to drink a foul tasting sleeping draught - or - he could lie and be allowed back to his own dorm.

Deciding that he would rather sleep in his own bed, he bent the truth, "I didn't even dream." Appearing satisfied with his answer, the mediwitch handed Harry the cup demanding that he finish it before he was allowed to leave. He finished the potion obediently and left the hospital wing.

Watching the boy walk out of the first aide office, Madam Pomfrey pressed the call button on her pager and jotted down several notes in Harry's file. She truly felt for the poor boy. He had been through more than his fair share in his short life.

"How has Mr. Potter been faring today Dr. Pomfrey?" Glancing up from her notes, she found the director of the psychiatric institution standing in the doorway.

"Not well, Doctor. He took his medication without resistance today, but he has not slept for more than twenty four hours." She explained, "If he has not slept in the next eighteen hours, I will have to sedate him again."

Dumbledore asked out of sheer routine, "I expect that you have already assigned him a watcher?" Madam Pomfrey nodded before pointing to the time schedule posted on her bulletin board.

"Hagrid is scheduled to start his shift today at twelve, but I've called him in early." She sighed as she placed Harry's file back into the filing cabinet beside her desk, "He is Harry's favorite and I'm sure that he won't mind the overtime."

"No, I suppose he wouldn't. Please keep me updated on Mr. Potter's status today." Madam Pomfrey nodded to Dumbledore's request and the director backed out of the room, leaving her to her work.

oOo

"'ello 'arry!" Hagrid greeted as he walked into the common room, finding the young boy with his friends, Ron and Hermione. Harry looked up at the tall man, grinning widely.

"Hello Hagrid! How is Fluffy?" At the mention of the three-headed dog, Hagrid smiled indulgently with a booming chuckle.

The man sat down on a nearby arm chair and a rush of air escaped the cushions, making the three across from his laugh. "Fluffy's grea'! Ge'ing on grea' wit' Fang!"

"That's wonderful Hagrid!" Hermione said as she leaned further back into the couch that she was curled up on. She held a book in her hands. He turned his head to see that it was Gray's Anatomy. The title was written down the side in plain black script and he realized it was a medical book.

It was a thick tome and he had a suspicion that they were up to trying to pull a fast one on Madam Pomfrey. He had been informed of Harry's choice lack of sleep, again. Honestly, the boy was going to severely hurt himself if he didn't start taking the sleep aide medicine every night like he was supposed to.

He had just been hired on as a medical nurse aide at the Hogwarts Psychiatric Hospital when Harry was admitted at age eleven. The boy had lost his parents in a car crash as a baby and had then been put into the custody of his abusive aunt and uncle. Years later, he had suffered severe mental distress and psyche break.

After being kept in a private area of the hospital until he was evaluated, he was released into the Hogsmeade Center for Rehabilitation. Harry had developed a severe cause of post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and schizotypal personality disorder.

It was terrible to watch as the boy was often caught up in a hallucination or delusion. Once he had even told Hagrid that he had been given an invisibility cloak for Christmas from his dead father. Hagrid had taken his concerns to Dr. Pomfrey who explained about Harry's advanced mindscape that he escapes to when feeling anxious or threatened.

Harry was often seen with the young Hermione Granger, who was admitted for bipolar disorder and a nasty case of obsessive compulsion disorder They often spoke of a boy their age called Ron, but Dr. Pomfrey assured him that it was one of Harry's head voices and that Hermione had been brought into the delusion.

As Hagrid settled back in the seat, going about his routine of listening quietly, Harry turned back to his conversation with Hermione. "So there isn't anything that Pomfrey hasn't told me in that book?"

Hermione gave a sympathetic sigh, "I'm afraid not Harry. I know that dreamless sleep tastes terrible, but it really does give you a restful night of sleep." Coming to his aide, Ron sat up from his place on the floor around their feet.

"Come on, 'Mione! There has to be something in one of those books of yours, I mean you're telling me that you're defeated?" Harry watched as Ron's words ruffled Hermione's feathers, her face turning a vague shade of red.

Without a word she threw the book in his lap, knocking the wind out of him and stomped away up the girls dormitory stairs. "Ron, you should know better than to rile Hermione up. You know that she won't talk to us for days now."

Ron threw the book towards the fireplace with a grunt, "We don't need her anyway." He huffed as he threw himself back down on the floor, "Just start staying awake until exhaustion hits. If your body really needed that much sleep then you'd be able to sleep as often as they want you to."

Harry sat quietly contemplating the words. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. "I think you're right, my body will sleep when it's ready." He said easily.

Hagrid sat quietly and rigidly as he watched Harry speak and respond to himself. Hermione had stalked off after throwing the book into Harry's lap and he frowned. He quickly sent a red flag page to Madam Pomfrey; it wasn't a good day.

oOo

That evening, Harry sat at his usual place at the Gryffindor table eating the specialty of baked chicken and potatoes. Hermione had not come down that evening and Ron had been incapacitated after Lavender Brown had attempted to snog him.

Ron had an adverse reaction to the advance and had to be escorted to the hospital wing. Being alone, Harry wasn't surprised when Malfoy showed up at the table. A smirk played on the boys lips as he spoke, "Your mudblood and weasel finally abandon you Potter?"

"What do you want Malfoy?" Harry said flatly, not really feeling up to the usual banter they exchanged. Draco's eyes narrowed in on him with something akin to anger...or was it confusion?

Leaning on the table with both hands Malfoy smirked, "Just thought you'd like to know that I heard from one of the ghosts that their planning on forcing a draught of living death on you." His lips lifted into a cruel smile, "Heard you haven't been sleeping."

Harry's fork clattered to the plate as his eyes went blank. He spent a long moment sitting there, debating his options. Malfoy, having succeeded in messing with his rivals head, walked off victoriously.

From the doorway of the cafeteria, Hagrid kept a close eye on Harry. Usually after an interaction with Draco, one severely narcissistic character if Hagrid could say so, Harry had incidents. Draco was only admitted for a strong bought of narcissistic personality disorder and he had a strange fascination with playing up Harry's hallucinations.

When Harry finally went back to his meal, Hagrid let out a low sigh of relief. Perhaps the day was looking up after all and Harry would see that all Madam Pomfrey wished for him was good health.

oOo

Ron's lungs burned as he raced ahead of Harry, darting around this corner and that, attempting to find a place to hide. After hearing Malfoy's wonderful news, Harry had come up with a plan.

Once Harry had found Ron in their dorms after dinner and explained everything, they decided that the best thing to do would be to hide in the place that the Professors would least expect.

Just before they were able to reach the stairwell leading to the dungeons, a dark figure stepped in front of the stairs. Snape glared at the two students and sneered, "Mr. Potter and Weasley, what are you doing out of bed after hours?"

Harry watched as Ron did something that he had never done before. Ron tackled the man with a cry, "Keep going Harry! You won't wake up for weeks if they give it to you again!"

The sudden fear of being administered the potion pounded through every ounce of Harry's being and he leapt for the stairs. His ankle buckled under his weight with a strange crack as he landed and then he was falling.

oOo

Dumbledore walked into the first aide office and found Harry lying in one of the beds unconscious, "What has happened to dear Mr. Potter, Dr. Pomfrey?"

Dr. Pomfrey looked up from where she was finishing wrapping a cast around Harry's left arm, having already set his leg and pelvis with suspensions. The boy looked battered and worse for wear after his fall down the basement stairs leading to the supply room.

"According to the radiologist, Dr. Snape, Harry tackled him in the hall, shouting something that he believed to be from Mr. Weasley, before jumping halfway down the stairs. It was something about escaping in order to not be sedated again." Dr. Pomfrey explained with a frown, "Some of the orderly's were overheard by Mr. Malfoy and we know how he likes attention."

Dumbledore simply sighed, "I believe it may be time to transfer Harry to a high security facility Dr. Pomfrey." He glanced to the beeping monitors and the machine that gave deep gusts of air, helping Harry breathe, "If I am not mistaken, this is Harry's sixth incident in which he or another patient has been harmed." Dumbledore frowned, "I'm sure I need not mention the late Mr. Diggory."

"That is if he wakes up again." Dr. Pomfrey pursed her lips as she made a note in Harry's chart, "He cracked his head awful hard Doctor. I don't know that he'll be himself even if he does wake."

Agreeing solemnly Dumbledore nodded, "I believe that would be the best course of action Dr. Pomfrey." Dr. Pomfrey adjusted the IV in Harry's arm, making sure that the fluids were flowing at the correct pace, "Perhaps, if he wakes, it is time that he be sent to a safer place."

They shared a saddened glance as Dr. Pomfrey bowed her head, "Perhaps."

::

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!


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